I have 3 insurance questions. I have good insurance now and am deliberating whether to have lap band or bypass. 1. My current insurance will cover both, but if I switch insurance due to changing jobs, will my future insurance disallow fills because it was a pre-existing condition? I don't want to go with the lap band and then be unable to afford the fills because I'm paying out of pocket. (By the way, how long does one keep getting fills?) 2. Does anyone know of an organization I can join to get GROUP insurance that does not depend on my job, such as AARP, professional organizaitons, religious organizations, etc.? 3. I have a friend who had bypass and said that she can not get new insurance at all because they disqualify her because she had bypass. Is this common? Ways to avoid it?

Thanks,

JodyG

Hi Jody. Here are the answers to your questions:

1) No, nothing can be excluded as a pre-existing condition if you are coming from another group plan. HIPAA laws require full coverage if you have continuous coverage without a lapse. That's why COBRA exists--so you can continue coverage from an old job while waiting for your new job's insurance to kick in.

2) In general, non-employer groups that provide insurance only provide bare-bones coverage. It's certainly worth looking into, but they're usually last-resort kinds of things for people with no other source of insurance.

3) Every state has its own rules about medical underwriting and whether carriers can exclude you for prior conditions. Check with your state's bureau of insurance or health to find out what the rules are where you live.

Thanks, Alexandra! Great info.